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Early Detection of Pneumoperitoneum in an Infant with Necrotizing Enterocolitis by Transillumination
Author(s) -
Togari Hajime,
Kawase Atsushi,
Ogino Takatoshi,
Hagisawa Masahiro,
Ogawa Yunosuke
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-200x.1980.tb00527.x
Subject(s) - medicine , necrotizing enterocolitis , transillumination , pneumoperitoneum , abdominal distension , enterocolitis , pediatrics , jaundice , retinopathy of prematurity , pneumatosis intestinalis , birth weight , incidence (geometry) , surgery , gestational age , gastroenterology , pregnancy , pathology , laparoscopy , biology , genetics , physics , optics
We succeeded in the early diagnosis of pneumoperitoneum in a low birth weight infant with neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis by transillumination. Transillumination is a simple and noninvasive technique which can be used in the evaluation in risk infants to detect pneumoperitoneum at the earliest possible time. In the large series of 296 neonates admitted to NICU over a period of 3 years, there was a sharp increase in the incidence of abdominal distension and/or intestinal bleeding with decreasing birth weight and gestation, indicating that neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis is dependent on the degree of prematurity. We therefore postulate that the disease could be termed “Enteropathy of Prematurity”. In infants with abdominal distension and/or intestinal bleeding, the routine use of transillumination may help the early detection of penumoperitoneum.